Losing the Shadow
by made.for.life
Summary: After an unexpected and crushing loss, Teiko emotions are running high and unfortunately lash out at the wrong teammate.


They had lost. Lost badly. So very close then at the last second, on missed pass. They had only needed one point but the other team stole it from them. Kuroko had passed the ball but Midorima had gotten ahold of it. How, no one knew but a tie then a three pointer had killed them. It had killed their spirit. The entirety of Seirin slogged back to their locker room. Kuroko had a towel over his head.

Kagami suddenly spun around slamming his hand into the wall in front of his shadow. "Where the hell was that pass supposed to be going and why didn't it make it?" He demanded.

The small player tilted his head back to look out from under the towel.

"If that had made it we would have at least had a chance." Hyuuga turned around from his place at the front.

"We could have put it in overtime." Kiyoshi said not accusingly but thoughtfully.

"If you had aimed correctly!" Hyuuga yelled.

"You could have passed to me!" Kagami exclaimed in the shorter's face.

The shadow opened his mouth.

"Forget it." Kagami growled. "I thought we were partners."

"Are they not anymore?" One of the first years whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

The red head pick up his bag and stormed in an angry circle. "Apparently."

He ignored the hurt look that Kuroko quickly hid put pushing his towel forward.

"Any light wouldn't need a useless shadow and neither does this team." Hyuuga threw his arms up in frustration.

Izuki sat down, running the game over in his head. They had had to sub Mitobe out for one of the first year because no one else was in any condition to play. The really new one, Funso. He was a competent player.

"That pass really was to nowhere. How useless." The eagle eye commented.

They noticed target of all their comments had disappeared suddenly.

"If he knows what's good for this team he won't come back until he fixes something." Hyuuga growled banging his fist against the locker.

"Hyuuga." Kiyoshi grabbed his shoulder harshly and grabbed Kagami's too and held both aloft. Behind his usually calm eyes rage was stirred. "Do you realize what you just did?" He asked dangerously.

"What?" Kagami yelled. "Scolded a useless teammate?"

One of the first years started crying.

The tallest player on Seirin shook his hostages. "You may have just lost us one of the best palyers on our team. He missed ONE pass."

"He didn't miss the pass!" The sobbing member suddenly cried out.

"What?" Everyone turned to the black haired newbie, Funso.

"How can you say he didn't?" Kagami growled. "It clearly didn't get to anyone. I'd call that a miss. No target."

"But there was a target." Izuki said quietly interrupting everything. He looked off toward the wall reconstructing that moment in his head.

Funso wailed. "It was to me! I know it was! I just … I didn't get it. I thought someone else would."

"What?" Kagami and Hyuuga barked.

"I would have lost it." The kid cried. "I always do when it's most important. I just didn't get it. Kuroko aimed correctly. He trusted me. I couldn't have done anything with the ball."

Riko looked at him with a very tight smile. "Funso right?" The kid nodded. "Go. Home."

He took his bag and scrambled out.

"That little idiot!" Kagami grounded out. "And would you put us down already?"

"Oh." Kiyoshi set them down. "Sorry."

Everyone came to the realization at once.

Hyuuga's face was red. "Crap. We yelled at the wrong person."

"At exactly the wrong person." Kiyoshi commented way too calmly. "We'll never be able to find him now. Poor shadow."

Kagami jolt. "Hell. I promised myself I wouldn't do that. I promised him we'd be better, better than his old team." His chest lurched. He had broken that promise. He had sent his partner away for nothing. He felt like part of his love for basketball had just walked out the door.

Hyuuga dashed over and shoved the door open. "Kuroko!" He yelled.

"Where did he go?" Kiyoshi stood from where he had taken a seat.

"I have his number!" Kagami upturned his bag.

He fished out his phone quickly. Hyuuga leaned over his shoulder and Kiyoshi on the other. He pressed the button and scowled. He even had the shadow on speed dial. It rang once. Then twice. Then a sound caught all their attention. Another phone ringing.

Koga lift the bag it was coming from and paled. "It's Kuroko's."

"Damn it." Kagami flipped the phone shut.

Hyuuga scowled. "He ran off without his bag."

"He doesn't forget things." Riko said. "We hurt him that bad."

Hyuuga spun in a helpless circle. The door opened pausing all motion with hope. But instead, a player in orange came in and looked them over.

The hawk eye, Takao smirked. "Yo. Just delivering a message from Shin-chan."

"Midorima?" Riko frowned.

"Yeah." The guy leaned easily on the door frame. "He said 'you're no better than we were', whatever that means. But anyways what I want to know it how you got your little player to cry so hard." He looked even a bit pitying for the rather apathetic person he was. "He looked like to you had killed Kagami or something."

"Crying?" Kagami's voice wavered with pain.

Hyuuga grabbed his bag and stood intimidatingly before the person from the other team. Takao flinched and his eyes widened at the expression on the captain's face.

"What the hell? Did you murder someone?"

"Which. Way. Did. He. Go?" The captain punctuated every word heavily.

Takao raised his hands and backed up. "Uh. T-That way." He pointed.

"Come on!" Riko shoved passed.

The entire team thundered passed the wide eyed Takao. They came up to the central interchange of the building where any given hall would take you somewhere different.

Hyuuga stopped short. "Okay, everyone split up. I don't care where you go but find Kuroko."

All the players dashed off in separate direction. Kagami knew immediate where he would go if he was Kuroko. Well, the shadow wasn't him but it was at least a place to start. He headed out to the basketball courts. He went through the doors quietly listening.

"Yo Kagami." A voice made him jump.

"Oi! Kiyoshi, don't sneak up on me like that." The red head glowered. "You're as bad as …"

"Oi." Another voice joined them. "I said to split up."

"Yo captain." Kiyoshi greeted rather seriously.

Hyuuga pushed up his glasses. "Looks like we all had the same idea though. Check the basketball courts. Kagami and Kiyoshi nodded. "We let's go check them then, quit standing around."

They walked together toward the soundless court. They knew there wasn't anyone there but there was a kind of lack of completion from not checking at all. Suddenly the three males heard a soft sound, like someone talking softly. They came to the opening in the hedge where on could see the two courts separated by a low hedge.

"I'm telling you Tetsu, you should have stayed with me."

What they saw astonished them. Aomine was lounging on a low wall with his eyes closed in the middle of a train of thought. Kuroko was standing, still in his uniform as he had had no time to change, facing on of the basketball hoops with his slight back to everyone.

Aomine continued to talk. "You can never be your own light so at least stay with your brightest one. You know I didn't mean anything I said." He yawned boredly. "I just got frustrated, little shadow. They don't actually care. Everyone is simply using you Tetsu. There isn't anyone who won't. Why don't you just do what Akashi says and come back? They wouldn't even notice you left."

The blue haired boy tried to speak up. "Kagami. Kiyoshi. Hyuuga. They …."

"They wouldn't care. They don't even know how to use you."

The ace of Too rolled the ball in his hands of his lap without looking. It bounced twice then rolled right to the shoe of the other player.

"Do they even know anything? Pick it up." Aomine's voice turned into a command.

Kuroko picked the ball up looking at it, at the net.

"Make the shot Tetsuya." Aomine commanded as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Kuroko lined it up and sent the ball flying. It tapped the back of the board and spun off into the bushes.

"Teh. Can't make a shot." Aomine yawned. "Useless without someone. They can't really understand that. Do they know you? Do they use you? Do they even know your family?"

"Please stop." A note of desperation entered Kuroko's voice.

"Has ever one of them been to your house?"

"Please. Stop please."

Aomine drove the point home. "They have no idea who you are and what you can do."

Kuroko shook. His arms wrapped around himself.

"Just think of that the next time you tap his fist." Aomine stood up looking just at the shadow.

The blue headed player fell to his knees.

"Come back Kuroko." The guy smiled in a crazed way. "You know your place as well as the rest of us."

With that he brushed passed the kneeling player. He left the ball where it was and walked toward the entrance to the courts. The ace spotted the players from the other team and sneered walking by them quickly. The trio from Seirin looked at each other and rushed forward. They slowed, unsure of what to do.

"Kuroko?" Kiyoshi knelt down and reached out a hand.

"Don't touch." The shadow's voice was peaked with hysteria. "Please don't touch. I'm fine."

His breaths came in and out unevenly, raggedly. Kuroko shook and tried to hold himself together with his hands. He pulled his shoulders up. Aomine's words had reached their intended target.

"Oi, Kuroko." Hyuuga tried saying rather quietly. "It's okay, I think."

Kuroko looked past them, eyes blank. Air hissed into his lungs and came out in a whine. His nails dug into his arms.

"Kuroko?" Kagami stepped toward him.

"Wait." Kiyoshi grabbed his warm up pants stopping the tiger.

"What?" Kagami snapped.

Hyuuga studied the shadow. "Don't touch him."

"Are you two crazy?" The ace shouted.

Kiyoshi gave a sudden yank pulling Kagami to the ground.

"Ouch!" He yelled.

"Shut up." Hyuuga snapped. "You've never seen a panic attack before have you Bakagami?"

"A?" The red head turned his head to his partner confused.

Kuroko was shaking and his face, hell; his entire body was stark white. The air around him was heating up dramatically. Little whimpers of speech broke from his mouth. Sweat ran down his face making his eyes water as they stared off.

"What's he saying?" Hyuuga leaned forward.

The words were slurred and uneven. There were only two words. Kuroko was calling the names of his past light and future light.

"Kagami, Aomine, Kagami."

"Hey, I'm right in front of you." Kagami said leaning forward.

A massive hand stopped him. "Just wait."

They sat tensely. The little blue haired player rocked and cried and called and sweated. He looked off to the trees in such desperation it was heartbreaking. Slowly Kuroko quieted and his eyes came into to focus.

"Um. Hi." He said awkwardly.

"You okay?" Kiyoshi asked gently.

The shorter guy nodded.

"Can we? May I?" Kagami tried to start his sentence a few times but stopped.

Finally he just reached out a hand to put it on his partner's shoulder. Kuroko flinched.

"Kuroko, we want you to stay with the team." Hyuuga said. "I hope you know that."

That was the best the captain could do. He couldn't think of words to say. None of them could. Kagami was especially bad with the whole emotions thing. Kiyoshi was deep in thought.

"Kuroko."" He said suddenly. The blue eyes spun to him quietly finally looking back. "We didn't mean to yell at you. You gave a teammate your trust and they failed you. Our trust in you was never misplaced. You didn't do anything wrong and we were blind to that fact. We were being the stupid basketball players we are. Especially dense Bakagami and I."

He nearly sighed in relief as a small smile crossed the smaller player's pale and wet face.

"Yo Kuroko I, uh." Kagami scrubbed at the back of his head wishing he knew what he was trying to say.

The blue eyes just looked at Kagami's own. The shadow just understood. That was part of who he was. Seirin's phantom could read his light. There were many times when he just knew.

"Thanks Kagami-kun." The pale player stood up bracing his hand one knee. Both knees were bloodied from hitting the ground but he didn't mind.

Hyuuga pushed up his glasses. "Let's get back to the bus."

"Can I change first?" Kuroko wiped off his face and gestured to the wet jersey he was wearing.

The captain glanced at his watch. "If you're quick."

"Wait, hang on." Kagami said. "Your bag is here." He shifted the extra strap off his shoulder and handed it to Kuroko.

The shadow smiled. "Thanks Kagami-kun."

"Go change." Hyuuga ordered.

Kuroko ran off. They followed him more slowly. Hyuuga called Riko who had collected the team after their unsuccessful search.

"So you have him Kagami and Kiyoshi?" She asked.

"Yeah. We'll meet you at the bus. Save us seats." Hyuuga said dismissively, sounding a lot more comfortable than he felt.

Riko made a humming sound. "We'll see about that. Bye then."

"All right." Hyuuga shut off the phone.

They fell silent as the door to the locker room came into view.

"What are we going to do about that no good first year?" Kagami asked suddenly.

Hyuuga had been thinking about that. "I don't know."

"I didn't think he can stay." Kiyoshi asked. "It's not an emotional thing." He said in response to Hyuuga's glare. "It's logistics." He said seriously. "The team is not going to be sure if they can trust him now. I'm not sure I would the chance to pass him the ball after that little stunt. He simply won't be able to contribute. The trust of a team is a hard thing to gain once lost."

They thought about that.

"That's true." Hyuuga

"We should hope it's not too hard to regain." Kiyoshi said nodding to the figure sliding a coat on and walking toward them.

"Did someone get Number Two?" Kuroko asked.

Hyuuga nodded. "Koga has him on the bus already."

He nodded and they fell into a silent tread. Kagami walked next to his partner behind the two older players. They silently got on the bus. Riko didn't even yell at Kuroko. The whole team was pretty quiet from exhaustion and disappointment. Embarrassment also kept them very quiet. The lights in the bus went out and they started the long drive home.

"Tired?" Kagami asked way too loudly for the silent bus.

A few people nodded.

"Shut up Kagami. We're trying to sleep." Hyuuga snapped half awake.

Kuroko didn't answer. The red head looked over to see him already asleep. Number Two had wormed his way onto the shadow's lap and was also asleep. The team jolted as the bus took a hard turn. Kuroko rolled hard into the ace's side. Kagami moved his arm to keep the smaller player from falling and went back to looking out the window with his headphones bus pulled to a halt in front of the school and the doors opened. Kagami suddenly realized his situation. Kuroko was still sleeping, leaned into his teammate's side.

The red head glanced up. "Kiyoshi. Hey, Kiyoshi."

The brown haired guy looked back from where he was rousing Hyuuga. Kagami slid his eyes pointedly toward the sleeping blue haired player. The team was getting off the bus quickly and Riko handed Hyuuga a roster. She hopped down thanking the bus driver.

Kiyoshi touched his chin lightly. "Well, you are quite stuck aren't you?" His eyes sparked with amusement.

Kagami growled. "This isn't funny. What do I do?"

"Uh. Get him home?" The brown haired guy answer with a snicker.

Kagami growled. "I don't know where he lives."

"I do." Hyuuga answered still half awake. "It's on this paper."

"Great." Kiyoshi said getting his bag. "You lead the way." He picked up Kagami's and Kuroko's bags too and slung them over his shoulders.

"You want me to carry him?" Kagami cried.

Kiyoshi shrugged and walked off the bus with Hyuuga. Kagami judged the scene. Finally after a bit of struggling he had Kuroko riding piggyback with his blue head on drooped wearily on Kagami's shoulder. The red head carefully descended the three bus steps. Kiyoshi and Hyuuga, looking more alive now, were waiting below.

Hyuuga raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "Let's go." He turned around looking at his roster with the team's addresses and phone numbers.

"You good?" Kiyoshi asked.

Kagami nodded. "He doesn't weigh much. He eats almost nothing at all."

Kiyoshi laughed. "I wonder what his parents will be like."

"Oi! Come on you two." Hyuuga called from the gate.

"Strict?" Kiyoshi guessed. "I bet they're pretty nice."

"You think they will be just as invisible?" Kagami asked hiking Kuroko up on his back a bit.

"I don't doubt it." Hyuuga responded. "His dad can't be more than six foot."

"He doesn't have any older brothers we know that." Kiyoshi said. "I wonder if he has younger ones."

"Well we're about to find out." Hyuuga said stopping short in front of a house. He looked up then down then up again. "Big place."

They stood there a moment. Kiyoshi cocked his head.

"Well let's go already." Kagami said.

Kiyoshi shrugged and followed Hyuuga up. They rang the bell and waited. Finally it opened. A little girl, barely seven years old opened it. She looked at them with big blue eyes.

She turned her head. "Mommy people are here!"

A woman rounded the corner. She had emotionless blue eyes and flowing brown hair. One of the most shocking things was she was not short. Not tall but above their phantom player's height. Her aura match Kuroko's, very subtle and easily lost. She smiled when she saw them.

"You must be Tetsuya's team." She nodded then tilted her head. "Is he alright."

"Um yeah." Hyuuga said startling out of his daze. "He just fell asleep."

The lady smiled again. "Did he now? I'm so sorry."

"What are we sorry for?" A man voice asked.

A person appeared down the hallway and the team gaped. The man had shocking blue hair and blue eyes but he was an inch taller than Kiyoshi. He stuck out firmly as any other person. He wasn't built heavily but muscular and athletic in figure.

The man lifted an eyebrow. "Problem?"

"No sir." Hyuuga answered immediately.

"Then close your mouths, you look like a school of guppies." The guy crossed his arms.

Kiyoshi laughed and stuck his hand out as the man approached. "Pleasure to meet you sir. I guess we were all a bit shocked given our teammate's stature."

The man shook his hand firmly nodding.

"Ah the height curse." Another female said.

An older girl leaned on the rail to the upstairs looking down. She had the same blue hair and dull eyes. She drew attention to herself though. The girl sauntered down the stairs.

"He'll grow." The girl, standing next to her mother, was an inch taller than the woman. "Dad says he'll shoot up in college. We all did."

Kagami tried to imagine his shadow growing and shook his head.

"Well bring him upstairs then." The motherly woman said waving her hand.

The other girl moved out of the way and Kagami followed Kuroko's mom. They climbed the stairs and Hyuuga and Kiyoshi tagged along. The lady pushed the first door in. The room was fairly small. There was the standard, bed, desk, closet, dresser. What really stood out though were the pictures. On every surface there were at least four framed pictures. There were old newspapers on the walls. Kagami flopped Kuroko into bed and looked around. There was one of him on the dresser. The annual team picture hung above the bed.

"Look at these." Hyuuga pointed.

Under his finger was the oldest section of the newspapers and pictures. Images of the Generation of miracles. Kuroko Tetsuya's room was a documentation of their lives and his. It was the catacombs of old friendships and the marks of new ones.

"Wow." Kagami said.

Kiyoshi nodded as they exited the room.

"Would you all like to stay for some tea?" Kuroko's mother offered nicely.

"No. Thank you very much." Kiyoshi bowed slightly to the female. "We do have to be getting home though. It was very nice to meet you."

She laughed. "Not at all. It's always nice to meet Tetsuya's friends."

They walked out the door and it closed.

"Hey you three." The girl from inside blocked their path. "Especially you, Kagami Taiga. Listen close." She got nearly right in their faces. "Mum and Dad may not know what happened but I do." They swallowed. "And if I ever hear word that you did the same thing that Teiko did to him I will enact the same punishment they had on you. And suffice it to say," She grinned terrifyingly. "No one on that team was conscious when I got done with them." She walked away.

The trio glanced at each other. They split up to go their separate ways. Seirin gained a new respect, and in some cases fear, of their shadow. The next day Funso wasn't at practice but that didn't matter because Kuroko was. And all was right with the world.


End file.
